History of Art Club: Peter Blake

The most recent History of Art Club session saw Len Jack Suzuki deliver an interesting talk about English pop artist Peter Blake.

Best known for designing the famous album artwork for The Beatles’ masterpiece, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, but with a diverse and expansive portfolio beyond this, Blake shot to stardom in the 1950s.

Len looked at how the artist’s early work was influenced by popular culture at that time, and how figures like Elvis Presley, for better or worse, were burrowing into both a public and private consciousness. Len raised interesting questions about how Blake, as an enthusiastic fan himself, was affected personally and aesthetically by the rise of celebrity culture, and how he differed from his emerging pop art contemporaries.

The talk also touched on form and national identity, and we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at some of his own impressive work. Well done on an exceptionally well-prepared presentation.